Hampton Bays' Spring Sports Teams Looking To Remain Competitive

The Hampton Bays varsity baseball team will look different, but feel familiar this season.

Leading the Baymen this season and replacing longtime head coach Pete Meehan will be former junior varsity head coach John Foster. Foster, a 2002 graduate, played for Meehan, who is now coaching at Port Jefferson, and will be working with eight seniors he’s already taught over the course of their high school careers.

“I’m super honored and excited to get things going,” said Foster, who added that working under and alongside Meehan all these years, and with varsity assistant coach Rob Pinney, has made the transition a smooth one. Replacing Foster at the junior varsity level is Mike Bazoge, who has experience coaching in the Patchogue-Medford School District. Foster said the trio has worked seamlessly together, coming up with new offensive and defensive plans each day.

“I feel like I have a good grasp and handle on this team,” Foster said. “And this season it’s all about those eight seniors that didn’t get to play last year. They’re going to be the main cogs of our team, and we’re going to go out there and work hard every single day and hopefully see some good results.”

Returning to the squad are outfielder and pitcher Jordan Adelson, shortstop and pitcher Kai Leporati and catcher and pitcher Mickey Bracken.

“He’s one of our best players,” the coach said of Adelson, who plays travel ball. “He’s gotten better and better each year and will be our best hitter and a top pitcher for us.”

Foster said Leporati will be the team’s ace. He’ll be relying on those two guys to boost team morale.

“They should really help us,” the coach said. “They’re going to keep instilling that we’re one big group and one big family that helps each other out and coaches each other up. We will try to get better and better each day with good work ethic, a positive attitude and being a good person and good teammate.”

Those are things Foster said he took from his time playing for and coaching with Meehan.

“We’ve learned and stressed how to play the game the right way, how to be a great teammate, how to put the team first and the importance of work ethic and giving your best effort every single day — if you work hard and you’re a good person, you’ll see results,” he said. “And I’m hoping to maintain those connections he made with the players. He’s the best of the best and made such a big impact on our lives. He’s been a great mentor. We’re able to bounce ideas off him. We were honored not only to play for him, but call him a friend.”

New seniors to the varsity team this season include utility player David Catena, who will be batting leadoff; right fielder River Orlando; and third baseman and pitcher Gus Schmidt. Other seniors returning to the team after taking some years off are first baseman Paul Ryan and outfielder Reese Springer. Freshman Patrick Donahue, who will play shortstop, outfielder and pitch, was also called up.

The team moved down to League VI this year, making the Baymen ineligible for a playoff spot, but the hope, Foster said, is that Hampton Bays will be more competitive. The Baymen went 4-14 in League VIII in 2019.

“I think it will be really good for our kids — it will help with morale, have them see some success,” Foster said. “A lot of these guys play multiple positions, but we’re going to work very hard practicing each and every little situation and work on communicating. The good thing is they’ve played together for a long time, so there’s that familiarity and they’re comfortable with each other. I think that will be really good for our team confidence and hopefully that success will help kids stay dedicated and get some interest and more kids to come out.”

The Baymen will face Pierson-Bridgehampton on Saturday, May 8, at the Eastport-South Manor Sports Complex at 8 p.m. The game is a charity event, honoring coaches who died in the offseason.

Softball Team Led By All-State Senior

After some competed in a Town of Brookhaven fast pitch league over the summer, the Hampton Bays softball team is already back in the swing of things.

But the team is thinner this year, with 21 girls trying out for the varsity and junior varsity teams. Even some of the girls who played over the summer decided not to compete for the high school team this year, according to head coach Rich Doulos.

Returning is All-State and All-County senior standout Tara Brochu, who typically plays first base, but will be moved where needed this season.

“I can put her anywhere and she’ll be fantastic,” Doulos said. “Right now, I’ll need her at short stop, and even though she’s a lefty, I trust her,” he added, laughing.

Also coming back is senior Shaina Pierce at third base and junior Elle Dunkirk in centerfield. Junior Isabella Pettas will pitch, junior Kati Mounts moves to first base and sophomore Carly Dunn will catch like her older sister Taylor did during Doulos’s first three years as head coach.

Last season, the team went 7-7 in League VI, but moved up to League V as a Class A school with teams like Shoreham-Wading River, Mount Sinai, Miller Place and Elwood-John Glenn.

“Our mission is always playoffs — that’s the mindset we instill in this program — and we’re working hard every day,” Doulos said, adding that the girls have stayed late at practices and showed up to a Sunday scrimmage against Ward Melville, showing their eagerness. “They want to get better, they understand what needs to get done and they’re committed to improving. They want to get better, and I’m pretty excited for that.”

The softball team hosted Mt. Sinai on Tuesday, results of which were not available by press time. The Baymen travel to Miller Place this Thursday, May 6, for a 4:30 p.m. game.

All-State Senior Sprinter Returns To The Track

Darwin Fernandez will be back competing in the 400-meter run this season.

The senior has been learning remotely all year, and didn’t run winter track, head coach Andrew Arbocus said, but added it’s been refreshing to see some familiar faces outside this spring.

“While he hasn’t competed, he’s very motivated and has been training on his own,” the coach said. “He’s in shape and ready to go.”

Others returning to the team that went 3-2 in League VII in 2019 are junior thrower Timothy Kraycar, sprinter and long jumper Max Garcia and distance runner Luca Villano. Newcomers who made a splash in the winter are sophomore sprinters Sayer Boyce and Elijah Amos.

But like the softball team, Arbocus finds his numbers are dwindling during the COVID-19 pandemic. He usually boasts 45 to 50 student-athletes, where this year he has 30. What’s also made it difficult for track teams is athletes who specialize in other sports who used track even more this year than ever to stay in shape when the fall season was moved to the beginning of spring.

“We had some baseball players who were pretty good at track, but their love is baseball, so I understand,” Arbocus said, laughing while talking about how he tried to get them to stay, but will still wave to them across the field during practices and games. “We are also younger. Most of our numbers are sophomores and freshmen. Last year, we would’ve had a very experienced team.”

Either way, he too thinks this year’s group will be competitive.

“It’s exciting. I can’t believe the season is finally here,” Arbocus said. “It’s great to see everyone out here and their enthusiasm. I’m hoping we have guys that perform well, race hard and are happy.”

The boys track team traveled to Southampton on Wednesday, but results were not available by press time. The Baymen host Shoreham-Wading River on May 11 at 4 p.m.

Girls Track Team Loses Some Seniors

Girls track team head coach Kevin O’Toole is excited to send lone senior Jenn Serna off with a final spring season, but he said it’s with a bit of a heavy heart. That’s because several of the would-be seniors he never imagined wouldn’t be competing will not be returning to the track.

“So many people have gotten jobs and their responsibilities have changed over the course of the last year,” the coach said. “It was their decision, but it also wasn’t, really. I can’t help but hurt for the seniors that would have been here if not for everything that happened last year.”

But Serna, a middle-distance sprinter and four-year varsity runner, will be looking to spread her knowledge to many new underclassmen. Also returning and working with the younger athletes are junior long jumper and triple jumper Bryona Hayes and junior distance runner Sophia Senchishin.

Newcomers include sophomore Maizie Poulakis, a competitive cheerleader who right away became a top sprinter and is working on pole vaulting and the high jump; freshman 200-meter runner and triple jumper Emma Halsey, who had made the 2020 team as an eighth-grader; and eighth-grader Sophia Olivieri, who has also proved to be a top sprinter.

“She’s very, very fast, really, really excited to be on the team and just a great all-around kid and hard worker — I already can see that in just the first couple of days,” O’Toole said of Olivieri. “She’s here to work. She’s here to compete.”

The girls track team went 0-5 in League VII in 2019 and is also struggling with numbers, fluctuating between 20 and 25 kids on the team.

“Because we are such a small group and we don’t have a very large distance group, I think a majority of our focus will be on building up the younger side of our team and getting them trained,” O’Toole said. “For most of them, it’s an introductory year, and we don’t have many seniors to show them the ropes, so we’ll all be focused getting them up and off the ground.”

The girls track team hosted Southampton on Wednesday, but results were not available by press time. The Baymen travel to Shoreham-Wading River on May 11 for a 4:30 p.m. meet.

Boys Tennis Team Boasts Experience

Boys tennis head coach Diana Vamvakitis is excited to see what her upperclassmen can do this season — and her team has a plethora of them.

Seniors Jeremy Carcamo, Justin Korczak and Kevin Buritica, and juniors Noah Sanabria and James Kiernan return this season along with sophomores Israel Pulla and Christian DeRosas.

“Noah Sanabria and Jeremy Carcamo have shown significant growth throughout the years. They have been putting in a lot of hard work practicing outside of the season,” Vamvakitis said. “Their dedication and enthusiasm for the sport is very evident, and I am excited to see how they will continue to grow this season.”

But the coach said all her boys are eager to get back out on the court, including freshmen Dylan Foley, Erik Sandstrom and Esteban Montoya.

“These boys are very positive and have a great work ethic, continuing to build on their foundational skills. They are very determined to grow as individual players and as a team,” Vamvakitis said. “All these guys have been eager and motivated to practice and pick up from where we left off.”

The boys tennis team finished 5-5 in League VIII in 2019, but the coach admits the team is struggling to build a full lineup.

The Baymen travel to Eastport-South Manor May 12 for a 3:30 p.m. matchup, before hosting Riverhead on May 14 at 3 p.m.

Girls Lacrosse Team Loses Head Coach

Teresa Strano confirmed she is no longer the head coach of the Hampton Bays’ girls lacrosse team, and it is unclear as of press time who the new coach is. What is a definite is senior midfielder Cassidy Moore and senior defender Saorla Scully are back.

Other returners to the team that went 1-13 in Division II in 2019 could include senior attack Sierra Gaffney, senior midfielder Emma Naclerio and junior goaltender Abby Hoffmann.

The girls lacrosse team hosted Shoreham-Wading River on Tuesday, but results were not available by press time. The Baymen travel to Kings Park on Thursday, May 6, for a 4:30 p.m. game.